OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla., July 1, 2025–A former Fort Walton Beach man was captured in Mexico last month after a four-year murder investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

John William Galvao-Sahb, 23, held active arrest warrants out of the Sheriff’s Office for first-degree premeditated murder stemming from the shooting death of Earnest Riggs Jr., 48, on Vincent Lane in Fort Walton Beach March 17, 2021.

Multiple 911 calls were received around 7 p.m. that evening from residents in the neighborhood who reported hearing the sounds of gunfire and/or that a man had been shot.
Responding OCSO deputies found Riggs inside a Chevrolet rental work truck parked in the street. Two workers who had been in the truck during the shooting stayed on scene, while two others fled.

Witnesses told OCSO investigators they had spotted a young man dressed in black walking toward a truck and shooting a handgun directly at Riggs who was sitting inside the vehicle.

Residents said the man in black had been walking around in the area for an hour or more before the shooting took place. The victim had reportedly been in that location because someone was inquiring about a bid on concrete work.

The shooter, later identified as Galvao-Sahb, ran from the scene after the shooting. 

Members of the OCSO conducted the murder investigation with the U.S. Marshals Service Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force. A recent anonymous tip to Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers provided information that Galvao-Sahb was living within Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

During June, members of the U.S. Marshals Service captured Galvao-Sahb and extradited him back to the United States where he is pending extradition to Okaloosa County.

Galvao-Sahb was also featured on the nationwide series In Pursuit with John Walsh.

“This case is a powerful example of how anonymous tips can make a real difference,” said Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers Coordinator Nicole Hodskins. “Because someone chose to speak up, a dangerous fugitive wanted for murder is now in custody. We’re incredibly proud to be a bridge between the public and law enforcement in the pursuit of justice.”

Staff and OCSO news release